Check Mate:Game Over
by Zhaneel
Summary: After Freak Nation, how can Max and everyone survive and still fight the good fight? Angsty situation soon to come....
1. Info on the Dealio

**So I don't own the show Dark Angel, if I did, everything that happened in season 2 would have happened, minus that fudged up alien cult. I'm sorry, but that crossed the line and pummeled the ratings. So here are all the fans now, stuck without a show and without answers. I'm sure that everyone will agree with me when I say that Freak Nation was probably the only episode in season two that FELT in sync with season one. So, that said, what's done is done and my job as a Dark Angel fan and fan fiction writer is to deliver a storyline of the aftermath, attempt to tie-up those unanswered questions, then clean up the season two writers mess. That's the deal, so here's the speal.**  
  
**Before the story a few things need to be explained first...**  
  
HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET SUPPLIES:  
  
Food and medicine was the first obstacle to over come in Terminal City. Things were tight in the city these days. Now more than ever, dirty cops were whacking off the enemy citizens of political figures, dishing out hookers to the city streets and doing the crystal deals and all the while shuffling their own stash of doe in the process. It wasn't hard to find sector police willing to allow people to pass without a pass if they had the right price. 200 dollars to go in one direction, but only 230 to be allowed in both. So doing grocery shopping for 452 transgenic run aways began to get a little steep. That was until Logan brought up an idea that was sure to work. Set up Posts in every sector, may be like four or five people, a mix of norms and trans. Get the Posts to receive cash from Terminal City in certain checkpoints, use the doe to buy the food, toiletries, and medical supplies from vendors and only vendors. After all it was hard to trace someone who pays in cash for a couple things here and there versus one check for forty apples, twenty grapefruits, and six chickens. The Post would then take his/her purchases to non-other than Jam Pony and ship the cargo in several boxes with no return addresses and all to separate Posts. Once the other post received the stuff, the goods would eventually find its way inside the gates of Terminal City. A tricky plans, but surely worth it. Mole pointed out that the transgenics would only have to use this system for a limited time, after all... They could just use one of Terminal City's green houses' and a storage warehouse to raise and grow their own food. Mole, Alec, Max, Joshua, Dex and Luke had formed themselves a sort of committee in Terminal City. They all had voted and agreed that this was the best idea. So for the next three months they had sorted the network and it was a flawless system.  
  
WHATS THIS COMITEE CRAP:  
  
Max- According to the transgenics, Max is the leader of Terminal City, the guardian of everyone within the walls and the path to their survival. Transhumans say that's bullshit and she's only the leader of the transgenics not the nomilees and animal group of the gene pool. She holds in her emotions, not dareing to show a sign of weakness but the past few weeks she's been a bit on the frazzled side. Desperate to keep family together, hell bent to kill the virus and constantly watching her back for that psycho-path White.  
  
Mole- Transgenics attempt to respect the lizard man... Though they don't see him as a leader at all. The transhumans, they listen to him, believe in him, if only he could attempt to convince them that Max is the one calling the shots. Though, who honestly thinks that the cigar-smoking reptile will admit that a Transgenic is the boss of 'his kind'? Mole basically represents the transhumans and voices their opinions in committee meetings, more often than needed.  
  
Alec- the only reason Alec was ever made a committee member is because the man is great at his job of keeping the Posts a secret, he's got the reins to Jam Pony now.  
  
Dex and Luke- Two for one, computer hackers who share virus protection ethics with Logan and the three work together to protect the mainframes of Eyes Only along with Terminal City security.  
  
Joshua- He knows Sandimen; whatever he can tell them about their 'Father' could aid them in the fight against White.  
  
**I hope you enjoyed this info, Sorry it isn't the actual story yet but the second chapter is basically my lil' Prologue without actually getting into the story. Hang tight, this Sci-Fi team is in for one hell of a ride...** 


	2. Cracked Glass

TERMINAL CITY SECURITY TERMINAL SEPTEMBER 3 MONTHS LATER  
  
Max laces up her shoes, the only pair she owns now thanks to the hostage situation that forced her to leave all her belongings back in her old crib. The black tank top over her torso stuck to her glistening skin. There was no AC in the place, though it was a mild 78 degrees for the norms outside, the transgenics felt the heat at a high of 88. That was the only problem with hyped up genes, getting a higher temperature than the average person. Max swept her long silky brown hair into a long tail and quickly knotted it into a braid. She had to cut this hair soon. Now every news station had seen her face on a screen and every soldier back in Manticore had been taught that the best way to avoid being recognized after being exposed was to be rid of the hair. Max rinsed her face in a sink just feet away. The cool water splashed against her cheeks offering a temporary relief to the temperature. Her pants were lightweight black cargo pants that she had owned for quite some time. This was an outfit that she would often wear when on a hot run back at Jam Pony.  
  
Alrighty Maxie, time for another day in the holy city.. She smirked at her mental irony and headed out of the community bathroom.  
  
"Hey, Max!"  
  
"Yo!"  
  
"Hey gurl!"  
  
"There's The Hen."  
  
The last greeting brought a smile to her lips; Logan had informed her that a few of the transgenics had nicknamed her 'The Hen' because she looked over everyone within the city gates. She didn't argue with the term. It wasn't often that there was a joke that could be made in Terminal City. These greetings followed her as she made her way up to the concrete platform of the Security Terminal.  
  
Everyone in this room was a computer wiz, trained to become a military mainframe technician. This team of fifteen knew every hacker code and virus ever created and put into a hard rive. They called themselves 'Brain' after the most famous transgenic in the smarts department. Max allowed Luke and Dex to choose the security team. She trusted their judgment.  
  
"How are things this morning?" Max asked the duo.  
  
"Sixteen bugs worked out all morning, twenty two firewalls collapsed and six cameras shut down from loose wires. Tell me how you would be." Luke answered in a sour tone.  
  
Max shrugged, "Can't say I'd be the happiest camper."  
  
"Yeah, Logan's been trying to get one of our large hard drives to work so we can increase the internal memory on the."  
  
Max held up a hand, "Whoa whoa whoa. Slow it down kid. Your talking computer wiz to a field fighter. Escape and Evade is my thing."  
  
Luke grinned in spite of himself, "That's right. I forgot, you guys are taught the easy stuff. Can't handle the memory cards huh?"  
  
Max snorted, "Take a day in the field under fire. We'll see how you deal."  
  
Luke just shook his head. Then a calm voice crept from around the corner and followed her statement.  
  
"Hopefully that will never happen."  
  
Logan. Always there watching my back whether I know it or not Max thought to herself and turned to look at the man. Always gotta play Mr. Save the World. Now look at me, attempting to hold together the strings of a broken down city. What a bite in the ass.  
  
"I was just leaving." Max replied. She didn't want to be near Logan. Not right now. Ever since the hanging of the flag the two had simply broken apart. Max pushed him away every day. The idea of accepting the only way of human touch through gloves was devastating. Max kept telling her that she had to get him away before she fell in too deep; too late.  
  
"No, I'll go." Logan held up a hand accepting Max's constant withdraws even if he didn't like it.  
  
Max shook her head, "No. Luke needs your help on some camera crisis. I'll be with Joshua if you need me."  
  
She turned on her heel and left, averting her gaze from those never ending blue eyes. Things were hard enough without a romantic fling going on. Fling? Fling! Max you're an idiot. You know this isn't just a fling. An annoying little voice spat at her. Max pushed the thoughts from her mind and continued down the corridor into the Bunker Zone. Joshua would be somewhere in here. Minutes later, sure enough, she could hear his gentle humming coming from his room. Max hadn't been in this wing for a long time so she knocked before entering.  
  
"Huh." Joshua answered gruffly then glanced to the doorway to see Max leaning relaxed against the doorframe.  
  
"Hey big-fella."  
  
"lil'-fella." He answered her in a well-practiced manner.  
  
Max could smell the paint from where she stood. Joshua's room was probably the most beautiful one in the entire block. May be even the city. On all four walls he had painted a mural. One of a forest, another of the night sky, another of a meadow, and currently he was working on a beach. These were his first landscape paintings and he was very proud of them. Like an ecstatic child who was informed that not a clown, but a real magician was coming to his party, Joshua showed off his work to everyone. Max watched the dog man make dramatic strokes of blue and green to crash against the pale gold sandy beach. "That's beautiful Joshua." Max whispered truthfully as she came up beside him.  
  
He grinned a toothy grin.  
  
"Tanx. It called. Silent Wave."  
  
Max smiled and looked at him, "How did you come to that name?"  
  
"Because. It is a wave. Painted, so it is silent." Joshua answered Matter of Factly.  
  
Max's smile broadened. Although Joshua's artwork never really had unique names for some reason they always fit and he always made up for it with the work. Max had just begun a conversation with Joshua about his newest painting when suddenly she felt a tremor in her wrists. 


	3. Broken Secret

Sandrine**Wow, ok so this is the first chapter that I have ever hand written before actually posting it. That is some interesting stuff right there. I am one who enjoys stuff happening right off in the beginning of the story. So. A great deal of foreshadowing is occurring in this chapter. Pay attention.**  
  
TERMINAL CITY TRANSHUMAN WING JOSHUAS BUNKER  
  
Max looked at her hands, which had now begun to wobble to and fro. Joshua was still talking about 'Silent Wave' and hadn't taken notice of her strange behavior.  
  
"What does Max think?" Joshua questioned her in third person, a habit that was unlikely to ever be broken. Max had always figured that Joshua had acquired that habit for living alone so long inside of Manticores basements. After all, talking in third person probably made it really feel that there was a third person present.  
  
"I'm sorry Big-Fella. I gotta cut this visit a little short.. I'm not feelin' too hot."  
  
It took everything that Max had to hold her muscles in place, she couldn't break out into a seizure; not here, not now, not with Joshua who couldn't know what to do because for some reason not one Transhuman ever caught a seizure. Max felt the heated beads of sweat begin to trickle down from her scalp creating a trail on the back of her neck. She had just made it to the doorway when her body snapped like a rubber band. It wasn't going to let Max control it, oh no. She didn't know how she had gotten there but somehow she had wound up on the cold tile floor.  
  
Joshua's face was lined with concern for his friend. Just as she thought, he didn't have a clue. "Max! What does Joshua do?!"  
  
She grimaced as sharp strokes of pain lashed up and down her spine with every convolution. Through tightly clamped teeth she answered, "I need Triptophyn. Find another Transgenic."  
  
Joshua started to look down the hallway, empty. Everyone was probably doing their duties. This week a Hospital Wing was being put into place. Max continued to shake violently. Joshua came back into the room, "Joshua can't find genic."  
  
Max answered him through struggled breaths, "Milk. Find milk."  
  
Joshua looked in thought for a moment or two then left the room. Max was alone on the floor twitching and thrashing in different intervals. Just then, a pure white furred cat transhuman entered the room with Joshua. Her sapphire eyes were bright and alert. Ears twitching this way and that while she spoke to Joshua in a soft voice. "Get her head up dog boy."  
Joshua growled a little at the remark but did as he was told. The young woman was holding a full jar of goats' milk, something very hard to get right now seeing as the goats at Terminal City were only at the high number of four. Max clutched the jar with trembling fingers and began to gulp down the smooth liquid as fast as she could. Minutes later, her body was down to minimal twitching.  
  
"Joshua will tell Sandrine." Sandrine was soon to be head of the medical department.  
  
Max's voice was a little louder than she had intended, "No!" She calmed her voice as Joshua looked back at her startled. "No. You can't let anyone know. I don't want this to get back to Logan or anyone on the committee. I can't have people hovering around me 24/7 wondering when I'm going to break."  
  
Joshua could see in his eyes that he didn't understand her meaning. After all he had only just witnessed one seizure. What he didn't know was that for the past month, Max had been awake in the night in her room suffering privately with her fits. She was out of meds, with no milk or anything that could aid her. Max wouldn't allow herself to be watched over and coddled like a piece of precious porcelain. Joshua crouched back to where he was and took the empty jar.  
  
A white velvet like hand grabbed Max's fingers and hoisted her from the floor. "The Committee is having a meeting in 5 minutes. I think they would be suspicious if they're leader didn't show up."  
  
"Thanks." Max muttered. She didn't know this feline woman and as if reading her thoughts the other mentioned her name.  
  
"Katrina. Obviously feline sub-species. I was a mistake until the good old docs at Manticore figured out that I was the first Transhuman to hold a photographic memory." She paused a bit, "Pretty nasty side affect of being a supposed 'break through in genetic technology' huh?" Katrina was hinting towards the seizures.  
  
"Yeah. It sucks ass. What can I say? Being a revved up super human an't what it seems." Max paused a moment. "Thanks for the milk. I appreciate it."  
  
"No problem, like you say we're family."  
  
Max had to make a smirk at that remark, it wasn't often that a Transhuman could get along with a Transgenic these days, much less make a joke.  
  
"You need to get your ass to that meeting Hen." Katrina warned. "Three minutes now. Wait any longer and you'll have to blur your ass to that meetin'!"  
  
Max fixed a strand of hair behind her hair, forgetting that her long suede brown hair was in a braid. She turned the corner out the door and was sure to wipe off the sweat and pale mustache above her lip before reaching the Conference Room. 


End file.
